Horizon
by Mirage1234
Summary: The Clans are under attack. Cats are disappearing: one by one. And when returned, they are either dead, or insane. Only one cat can save the Clans, and he can't shake off the feeling that this new enemy seems strangely familiar…
1. Prologue:

**Author's Note: Hi. I know that I've started kinda a lot of stories recently and not ever managed to get past 10 chapters with them, but I'm hoping that this is going to be a bit different. **

**You've probably got the idea of it from the summary.**

**Hope you enjoy it! Please RR. **

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**Prologue:**

A light breeze rushed through the forest, rustling the branches of the trees. The sun shone down through the gaps in the twigs, casting long shadows along the ground. Despite the sun, however, it was freezing cold; there was a bitter chill in the air.

It made the tom'ss teeth chatter.

He dashed through the forest, his fur ruffled with fury and his eyes contracted to slits. His claws dug into the ground as he ran, lifting soil and mud into the air. _Why did they choose him? Why in StarClan's name did they choose him instead of me?_

Eventually, the tom stopped under the shade of a huge oak tree. He began to pace around in circles, shaking his head and spitting onto the ground._ I did everything- everything! I trained an apprentice. I took on the responsibilities. I practically lead the clan in the battle against ShadowClan:_ _why didn't_ _Jaystar recognise that? __Why didn't he see that I'm the best cat to lead ThunderClan? '_

'Damn you, StarClan!' He screamed at the sky. 'I've wanted to be deputy ever since kit-hood; he doesn't even want power! He doesn't have ambition! He doesn't have the right to be the deputy of this Clan!'

He shook his head and stared at the floor. There were few moments of silence, before he tom let out a small whimper. He remembered his father and mother's face as Jaystar announced that the _other _cat was going to be deputy. They had been filled with bitter disappointment… no, they had been furious! The look on his father's face had even been venomous. _What will they say to me?_ He wondered. _Hopefully not anything worse than usual. _

Suddenly, an ominous chuckle echoed through the air, making the tom jump to his paws in shock. He turned his head from side to side. 'Hello?'

The laughter came again, and a scent hit his nostrils. The scent of a rogue. Instantly, the tom's attitude changed. 'This is ThunderClan's territory.' He yowled. 'Show yourself now, or suffer the consequences!'

'Consequences?' A soft, charismatic voice replied. 'Ah! Clan-cats: arrogant and over-confident as ever.'

This took the tom by surprise. Every other rogue he had chased off of ThunderClan's territory previously had retorted to his responses, but none had sounded as smooth and as calm as this.

But he wouldn't let this un-hinge him.

'I mean it.' The tom replied. 'If you don't come out now, you'll regret it.'

'Regret it? Me?" The voice replied (now, recognisable as that of another tom). 'Hardly- I rather think you'll be the one regretting it soon.'

'Who are you?' The tom said, becoming more agitated and uncertain of himself by the second.

'Suit yourself.'

The ThunderClan tom realised that the rogue's warning had not been full of empty words. As soon as the offending tom appeared, he immediately wished the cat had not emerged from the shadows.

'Oh-' He began. The tom opened his mouth to speak, but he found himself unable to. He couldn't even move. 'Oh, StarClan.'

The rogue's dark expression transformed into one of amusement. 'It seems I was correct.' He commented. 'I premuse your next words were going to be, _what have you done to yourself?'_

The ThunderClan tom's fear scent came off him in waves. He had completely lost his cool. He didn't how to deal with the situation. He didn't even need to finish his conversation with this mysterious tom to know that… that he had to be… deranged to make himself like he was.

'Anyway.' The rogue sat down on his haunches and began to groom his whiskers. 'I heard what you were saying a few minutes ago. Some thing about being deputy?'

'Um.' The tom hesitated. 'I… I…'

'I'll take that as a yes.' The rogue said. His eyes diluted with a sudden interest. 'You know,' he said, mildly, 'there's a chance I might be able to help you with that.'

Suddenly, the ThunderClan tom managed to find his voice. 'What are you talking about?' He snapped. 'How can you possibly help me?'

'From my knowledge of the clans, I think it is a rule that if the current deputy dies, another must be appointed.' The rogue murmured. 'If I was to, let's say, do your dirty work for you, you could be deputy within a moon.'

Without even knowing if he could trust this rogue or not, the ThunderClan tom found himself considering the offer. For such a cat, he was oddly persuasive. And something told him that the rogue had once been a very handsome cat until… he had done whatever he had done to himself.

'In fact,' the rogue began to smirk now, 'perhaps you could even be leader by the next moon.'

'You speak of the clans as if you are on intimate terms with them.' The ThunderClan tom retorted.

Instantly, the rogue had his guard up. 'Perhaps,' he hissed. 'But that is not what I am asking you about it. I offered you a deal. Will you accept it?'

The tom considered the rogue. Here was a… cat… if you could call him that, offering him the key to what he had wanted all his life. Power. He thought about the look on his parents' faces as he left the camp. He imagined erasing the disappointment to an expression of joy and happiness. _If I accept this rogues offer, will that truly happen?_ Almost as if StarClan had sent the rogue, he now had a chance. A chance to seize everything he had ever wanted.

And he took it.

'It's a deal.' The tom said.

The rogue smiled. 'Then I'll start right away…'

The tom padded away at this, feeling almost light-headed. He had left the camp feeling lost, and now he was going to back to camp in victory.

Little did he know had he just released a monster into the world of the clans.

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**Kinda short, I know, but I'm gonna limit myself to _3000 WORDS_ per chapter for this story. So yeah. **


	2. Chapter 1:

**Author's Note: Just something to say quickly, this story will be updated every week from now on. :D Sorry for the long wait last time.**

**Plus, I'd just to add. This is a _short story. _It'd say it's going to hold out for a maximum of twenty chapters, meaning that the plot will progress very quickly. I'm hoping I can get it finished by my birthday, the 2nd of June. I suppose it's a story about revenge, and how it twists even the loyalest cats into monsters beyond imagining, which is basically how you sum up the main antagonist. **

**So yeah, enjoy the first chapter, and the first encounter with the bad guy. He's kinda freaky… and BTW, for this story, the bad guy is allowed to have evil laughter.**

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**Chapter One:**

A ruddy brown tomcat with long whiskers shifted in his nest. He mumbled something under his breath and his tail twitched. His eyes opened for a moment, and then they closed once more, along with a small shake of his head. Sunlight streamed in through the entrance and onto his whiskers, lighting up the brown of his face and revealing a light shade of red instead of the usual murky brown.

'Redfur!' A light and slightly annoying voice echoed.

The tom let out a sigh of exasperation and he turned over in his nest. 'Not now Larkpaw. It's only just gone dawn-'

'Exactly!' The voice said again, followed by the tap of claws against the hard stone floor. 'I don't want to miss Thrushclaw's patrol!'

This made Redfur's eyes open. They were a deep shade of blue, like that of water. He stared at his apprentice hard. 'Larkpaw. The patrol we're going on is the sunhigh patrol. We've got hours!'

'Still!' The she-cat bounced up and down on the spot, her long; silver tabby fur bristling. 'Everyone is already up.'

Redfur looked around the warrior's den. Most of his fellow clan-mates were either yawning quietly, or fast asleep. 'That's debatable,' Redfur muttered. He laid his head on his paws and his tail kinked upwards.

'Fine.' Larkpaw retorted. 'All the apprentices are awake.'

'But are their mentors awake?' Redfur replied, shrewdly.

She was silent for a moment. 'No,' she said, grudgingly, 'but-'

'I rest my case.' Redfur interrupted, satisfied. His ears flattened against his head, and he settled back in his nest. After a few seconds, he opened one eye, hoping that Larkpaw had gone… of course, she had not. Instead, she was simply sitting there; then her tail began to thud on the floor of the den. This continued for a while. Redfur tried to block out the noise, but he found it painfully annoying. Soon, he could bare it no longer. 'What are you doing?' He snapped.

'Well,' she said, grinning. 'If you're not gonna get up now, I suppose I'm just going to have to wait for you.' She paused, meeting Redfur's frustrated glare. 'And that's for… about five hours?' She shrugged. 'Oh well.' The small, crystal white apprentice began to thud her tail on the floor again; she began to groom her whiskers and hum loudly.

Redfur turned over and pushed his head into the moss and feathers of his den. 'StarClan help me.' He groaned, before shaking his head. This happened basically every single morning, whether they were on patrol or not. He shook himself, knowing that there was no way he was going to win. 'Okay, Larkpaw.' He muttered. 'I'm up.'

'Yes!' Larkpaw exclaimed, dashing forward nudging the warrior to his paws. 'I knew I could get you to give in!'

Redfur kicked her away lightly with his back leg. 'Don't you always?' He purred playfully. He stretched out luxuriously. 'You go on ahead.' Redfur gestured to the entrance. 'I'll catch up with you in a sec.'

'Yes, please get out of here!' A female voice echoed. 'Some of us were sleeping before you barged in.' Redfur smiled as several cats nodded, agreeing with the she-cat.

Larkpaw was anything but intimidated. 'Hey!' She retorted. 'I was just-'

'Just go!' The she-cat spoke again, this time her voice taking on a snappish tone. Larkpaw rolled her eyes and padded away. Redfur felt himself leaping for joy, before turning back to the she-cat.

'How do you do that, Silverfeather?' He questioned. 'I'm her stupid _mentor, _but she doesn't ever do what I ask her to.'

Silverfeather rolled over in her nest before getting to her paws and sitting down beside him 'Oh you know.' She smiled a little. 'The right application of aggression and fake fury.' She nudged. 'You're so calm about everything that she doesn't think she needs to obey you.'

He grumbled and shifted his paws. 'I am?' He asked.

'Uh huh.' Silverfeather nodded, before running her tongue lightly down her grey pelt. Her sky blue eyes glimmered in the dark. 'You wanna go and get some breakfast?' She offered.

Redfur's ears twitched. 'Larkpaw's waiting me to-'

'No worries.' She interrupted, knocking him over the head with her tail. She grinned. 'Besides, I'm sure together we can control her together.'

Redfur considered this for a moment. He didn't like the idea of getting into yet another argument with his apprentice, but the idea of sharing tongues with Silverfeather was _extremely _tempting. The two cats had grown up as best friends since their kit hood, and though he would never admit it, he secretly had a crush on her. It annoyed him how all of ThunderClan seemed to know about it- the only cat completely oblivious to his crush was Silverfeaher herself.

'Yeah, sure.' He shrugged.

Silverfeather followed him outside; when their pelts brushed together he felt as if his fur had suddenly caught fire. Very few cats were up and about, except Jaystar, the leader of ThunderClan, and his mate, Goldenleaf… who also happened to be his mother and father.

He grabbed a juicy looking sparrow, and knowing it was Silverfeather's favourite fresh kill, offered it to her. She shook her head. 'You have it,' she replied. 'I caught this pigeon yesterday that I was intending to eat at dinner but forgot.'

He tucked into his sparrow, before beginning to make small talk. 'So, what do you think of the new deputy?' He asked.

She raised her head. 'Thrushclaw?' She nodded vigorously, as Redfur had guessed she would. Thrushclaw was her littermate. 'I think he's doing a great job!' She said, 'especially with Fallenear's legacy on his shoulders.'

Redfur agreed silently, enjoying the fresh kill. Fallenear had served his father as a good deputy for what seemed to be endless moons, but he had recently been killed in a border skirmish with ShadowClan. The Clan had been devasted. 'I'm not sure Darkfang is best pleased about it though.'

She visually stiffened. 'Nope.' She threw her head in the air in frustration. Redfur loved it when she did that. 'Have you seen how he's been treating my brother? Constantly disobeying his orders, and talking about him behind his back.' She narrowed his eyes at Redfur. 'You're one of his friends, aren't you.'

He didn't reply, but he felt like saying, 'Correction: I'm his _only _friend.' It was true- he had been Darkfang's only friend ever since he had been born. Redfur was really the only cat who Darkfang could relate to. Redfur had managed to stay as his friend throughout their lives, but he wasn't really sure if Darkfang considered him as a friend and actually generally wanted him as one. Still, he had been there whenever he had needed comfort.

Silverfeather looked down at the ground. 'I suppose you don't actually support him in his ambition, do you?'

'Darkfang!' Redfur exclaimed quickly. 'No, I most certainly don't.' He knew that Darkfang was ambitious and wanted to be the deputy, but he most certainly didn't support his friend. He thought that the tom was far too violent to even be given a chance at being deputy. His father, Jaystar, had made a much better choice in choosing Thrushclaw.

Silverfeather nodded approvingly before standing up. 'Sorry.' She said. 'I've gotta go on the dawn patrol with Yarrowheart.' She made a puking impression and Redfur laugh warmly. Yarrowheart was the most pessimistic cat in the whole of ThunderClan. He stared at her with a pluck of sadness as she sat down next to the cats in the dawn patrol. Her fur was rippling in the wind, making Silverfeather seem lighter than… well… a feather.

'She's a good cat, Redfur.'

Redfur jumped in surprise and turned around to see Goldenleaf, his mother, leaping down from her post with Jaystar to sit down beside him. He blushed when he realised that she had been watching him staring at Silverfeather. 'Oh, um, hi mum.' He said, shuffling his paws awkwardly. 'I mean, Goldenflower.'

She chuckled. 'Don't worry Redfur,' she teased lightly. 'It's natural for a cat to fall in love.'

He blushed harder. 'No seriously, Goldenflower,' he stuttered. 'I don't- like her like-'

'No, of course you don't Redfur.' She said, smoothly. 'I'm sure you were just staring at her, _area, _for the experience.'

He glared at her. 'So, maybe I was looking.' He retorted boldly to his mother. 'That doesn't give you the right to blurt it out to the whole Clan!' He gestured with his tail to the cats now milling around in the morning sun. A lot had woken up since he had asked Larkpaw to go up ahead. His apprentice was currently chatting with the other apprentices of ThunderClan.

Jaystar purred and leapt down so that he was standing beside his mate. 'Don't embarrass him Goldenflower.' He nudged her affectionately with his tail, before looking up at where Silverfeather was sitting. 'You may wan't to make you're move soon, though, if you want Silverfeather to be your mate.' He warned, glancing at how the tom, Shadetail, was sitting so close to Silverfeather.

Immediately, Redfur felt his eyes contract down to slits and he unsheathed his claws a little. He knew that Shadetail too really liked Silverfeather, and to be honest, he wasn't sure whether she would choose him over Shadetail. Lots of she-cats liked Shadetail. He bristled as he "accidentally" brushed his pelt against her's.

He nodded in agreement to his father. 'Uh huh.'

'In fact,' Jaystar said, sitting down beside Redfur. 'You might want to ask her in the space of the next few days. I heard that Shadetail was planning a romantic evening with her.'

_What?! _Redfur felt himself leapt to his paws in rage. He was just about to leap over to Shadetail and give him a lecture on how he was definitely not going to take Silverfeather out on a romantic evening, but they had already disappeared out of camp. He shook his head, trying to keep himself calm.

'I once had to compete for Goldenleaf you know,' Jaystar whispered.

Redfur sat down again and turned to his father, vaguely interested. 'You did?'

'Yes.' Jaystar nodded. 'With my own brother, for that matter.'

Redfur stepped back a little in shock, and was just about to ask him for more details, when suddenly, a cat nudged him with its muzzle. He turned around to see Darkfang, the cat he had just been talking about with Silverfeather. 'Hi.' He said, gruffly, before grabbing a piece of fresh kill and settling down beside Redfur. He glanced apologetically at his leader but Jaystar simply nodded, and he and his mate padded back up onto the Highledge.

'So,' Redfur began, 'nice morning, I suppose.' He had already had his breakfast, so he just watched as Darkfang tucked into the mouse he had selected.

Darkfang nodded, before looking up. 'What do you think of Thrushclaw?' He asked, his eyes cold and hard.

Redfur sighed. _This the second time I've been asked that question today! _'I suppose he's pretty good,' he paused, noticing a growl echo from Darkfang's mouth, 'considering the circumstances and with Fallenear's legacy on his shoulders.' He added, copying Silverfeather's words.

Darkfang snorted and stabbed the remainder of his prey with his claw. 'Fallenear. I don't know why everyone think's he was such a good deputy.'

Redfur stared at him, trying desperately to get his head around what he had just been told. 'You think Fallenear was a bad deputy?' He said, incredulously.

'He was weak.' Darkfang snapped. 'Always settling border fights with the most peaceful solution possible.'

'Exactly!' Redfur exclaimed, bristling slightly. 'He served my father long and hard. How many fights did ThunderClan get into with Fallenear and Jaystar in charge, hm? How many cats' lives were spared?'

Darkfang got to his paws, his voice turning to a long low hiss. 'The other Clans think we're weak. That we're scared to get into a fight!' He said. 'We should've showed them that we're strong.'

'We're strong!' Redfur retorted, he too getting to his paws. 'We are just strong in a different way to what you believe is strong!'

Darkfang opened his mouth to reply, but Redfur had had enough already. He brushed past his friend and stalked out of the camp, ignoring the surprised stares that followed him. _Darkfang is so difficult!_

As he entered the forest, the soft feel of the grass and the low tweeting of the birds in the branches lulled him into a run. He dashed off, stretching his legs so to shake off his anger towards Darkfang. He had never given up being a friend to Darkfang, but at the moment, it was becoming really and truly hard to. All Darkfang had his sights on was becoming deputy. He was too ambitious for his own good. One day, he was going to find himself lying in a pool of blood at the border with WindClan.

Redfur came to a halt beside a large and old oak tree. He was slightly out of breath- running for a long time had never been his strong point. He banged his head angrily against the bark of the tree, before slashing his claws across the trunk. _Today just isn't my day, is it? _He hissed. _First of all, I get into a fight with one of my friends, second, I get a first class seat as Shadetail tries to get off with Silverfeather!_

He shook his head and sighed, leaning against the tree in the gaze of the sun. The beams warmed his pelt, and he felt himself calm down a little. Most of the time, Redfur was very level-headed cat, always calm and cool. But at the moment, his own anger was getting the better of him.

The tom was just about to turn around and head back to camp (he would have to catch up with Larkpaw and the rest of the cats on the sun-high patrol) when suddenly he stopped, frowning. There was an unusual scent in the air, one that smelt distinctly of ThunderClan, and also of rogue. He turned tail, his own intrigue getting the better of him. He sniffed again, and realised he recognised the scent. It was that of Foxpaw, one of the youngest apprentices in the Clan. He was quite lonely, and spent a lot of his time, when he wasn't training, on his own, walking in the forest: therefore, it wasn't much of a surprise to scent him outside the camp. He was just about to carry on his way, when his eyes widened. There was another lingering smell in the air.

The smell of death.

Quickly, he dashed off in the direction of Foxpaw's scent trail. It led further towards the border with ShadowClan, and it carried on for quite a while. Each time he placed a paw on the ground, he felt the scent grow stronger. Foxpaw must have stopped at one point. Fear started to flutter in Redfur's heart for his clan-mate as he realised the scent of death was also growing stronger.

Soon, the scent trail stopped by a large clearing, surrounded by hazel shrubs. He barged through the undergrowth, and saw the apprentice lying on the ground in the middle of the clearing. At first, Redfur breath a sigh of relief, hoping that the tom was just horsing around… but when he drew closer, he realised there was a small pool of blood surrounding the body.

Redfur felt his blood go cold. Slowly, and painfully, he edged forward and placed his paw on the apprentice's fur. It was freezing. He must have been dead for awhile. Redfur closed his eyes, and rolled the apprentice over so that he was lying on his back.

The sight he saw was the most horrific he had ever seen.

The small tom's face seemed to frozen in mid scream. His mouth was wide open, and the expression of utter terror upon his face made Redfur draw his paw away and step back a little. His body was mangled: bite marks littered the body, and the tail had been separated from the body… but at second look, he realised why his face seemed to be frozen. He had been decapitated. The head literally ripped from the neck. He shuddered. Blood stained the tom's face crimson. His stomach had been sliced open as well. His guts lay on the floor, staining the grass red.

Redfur looked away. He didn't want to see the apprentice like that. Redfur hoped Foxpaw's spirit had had the strength to reach StarClan.

Suddenly, cold and blood curdling laughter filled the air. Redfur turned around in shock, following the noise, and noticed a cat sitting nonchalantly on a branch overhanging the clearing. Redfur couldn't make his out his appearance from his position, but Redfur was in no doubt that this tom was Foxpaw's killer.

The tom grinned at Redfur. 'I hope I made a good first impression.' He said, before bursting out laughing again. Redfur felt himself swallow in horror. The tom's laughter was sick. The kind that set your teeth on edge.

'Wha- how could you have-' Redfur began, his voice wavering.

'Killed him in such a horrible way?' The tom interrupted. He shrugged. 'I've heard it all before- personally, I'm surprised you're all that shocked. Cats have been killed in worse ways in the Clans' blood soaked history.'

Redfur tried to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse, strangled sound. The tom got to his paws and stretched lazily, as if what he had done was no big deal, before leaping down onto the ground and padding closer to Redfur. Now, Redfur could make out his whole appearance. He almost preferred to look at the corpse of Foxpaw than his murderer. He was overall quite a small cat, but something about him seemed deadly. There was an insane glint in his eye, one that scared Redfur. Scars covered his face, and at first, he could hardly tell if the tom had a face at all, for it was completely covered in blood stains, just like Foxpaw. Redfur guessed he had killed the apprentice in such way that he resembled the killer, and it wasn't a bad imitation. The murderer's whole pelt was also caked in brown stuff, a mixture of dry earth and wet mud. There was so much that it disguised his true pelt colour. His eyes were deep shade of amber, and they glimmered in the sun.

Suddenly, Redfur felt a burning rage shake his body. _This tom murdered Foxpaw, and all I'm doing is gawping at his appearance? _Quickly, he shot forward to the tom like a lightning bolt and shoved him roughly to the ground. The tom let out a small yelp of surprise. 'Who are you?' Redfur growled, trying not to flinch as he stared at the tom's blood stained face.

He started grinning again. 'Some call me the Destroyer,' he said, conversationally. 'Some just call me Death… but out of all my nicknames, I think I prefer Havoc.' He thought about this for a moment. 'Yes, my name is Havoc.'

For such an obviously insane cat, his voice was surprisingly charismatic and enchanting. 'Tell me why you're here, _Havoc,_ and why you murdered Foxpaw.' Redfur demanded.

'Well, I think the answer to your first question is a little self-explanatory.' He said, rolling his eyes. 'I'm here to spread havoc, duh. And the answer to your second question has already been answered as well; I killed him to make a good first impression.'_  
_

Redfur's eyes narrowed down to slits. 'You killed a cat in that way just to make an impression?' He said, aghast.

Havoc's sadistic laugh echoed once more. 'Think about what I'll do to rub my point in.'

In Redfur's momentary confusion, Havoc lashed out with his claws, leaving a wound in the tom's shoulder. Redfur backed away in pain and shock, while Havoc snaked forward, pinning him. Now the two toms were in the opposite position.

Havoc scoffed. 'Too easy.' He licked his claws clean of the blood from both the wound he had just inflicted upon Redfur and the fatal blows that had ended Foxpaw's life. 'Right, first things first.' He said, completely calm. 'I'd like you to make ThunderClan… let's say… _aware _of my presence.' He cricked his neck. 'I'm sure you're amazing leader, _Jaystar, _will tell the other Clans at a gathering. He'd be an idiot not to.'

Redfur felt his tail kink, confused. _How did Havoc know about Jaystar?_ His thoughts were silenced by Havoc leaning in closer. The scars on his face writhed, and Redfur struggled desperately to free himself, but the other tom was far too strong. He breathed on Redfur's face. His breath stank of mud. 'Tell them that I'll do the same thing that I did to Foxpaw to an apprentice of every single Clan beside this StarClan forsaken lake if they don't agree to my demands, which I'll announce at the next gathering if they agree to this, by the way. ' He smiled at Redfur. 'Oh yes, and send Goldenleaf my regards.'

'Goldenleaf? What?' Redfur said._ What does my mother have to do about Havoc?_

Havoc smirked, before hopping off Redfur and padding away back towards the tree where he had come. 'Remember…' he looked pointedly at Redfur, 'whoever you are, I'm watching the Clans.' He let out a long low growl. 'This place will be damned with the blood of your clan-mates within the moon.'

And with that, Havoc turned around and disappeared, leaving Redfur alone with the decapitated corpse of Foxpaw.

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**Oh yeah… is Havoc an awesome psychopath or not?**

**I'm not sure if it's ethical to have an awesome psychopath… but yeah. I hope this chapter has set the scene enough for the rest of this short story. If you like horror/gothic/romance stuff, then be sure to review!**


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